Month: September 2016

Christoph Schaarschmidt

Christoph Schaarschmidt, Light Trails at Bø, More og Romsdal, Norway

“I took this photo in July 2014 at Trollstigen in Norway. Standing there alone in the fog, I was waiting for the view to become clear. And then it happened, the fog disappeared and though it was 1 am already, one car came slowly up the steep serpentines. It was my dream for a long time to take a photo of lighttrails like this in Norway – and it was just an awesome feeling that it worked out on the most beautiful and famous street. A few minutes later the fog returned, even thicker than before.” – Christoph Schaarschmidt

National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year Contest 2016

Florian de Looij

Moving Through Eternity: Four Gifs by Florian de Looij

Florian de Looij first sat down with a copy of Photoshop when he was 12 years old and apparently he never got up. The Netherlands-based designer has been exploring digital animation and illustration ever since, and late last year started sharing his animation experiments on a Tumblr called FLRN GIF. Florian says he’s always been inspired by the likes of M.C. Escher and other artists working with optical illusions, something that has clearly influenced the direction of his design practice. He tries to make a new GIF each day.

The Cocoon Tree

The Cocoon Tree is a small circular tent, covered by a waterproof tarpaulin, which is suspended on trees and capable of holding two people. Available in 12 different colors, ranging from purple to green, the circular shape is a conscious design choice, which is used to give one the feeling of protection and warmth, similar to a bird’s nest.

Reblogged with thanks to culturenlifestyle:

 

Heat and Dust

Photographer Unknown, (Heat and Dust)

“Shortly before the monsoon, the heat becomes very intense. It is said that the more intense it becomes the more abundantly it will draw down the rains, so one wants it to be as hot as can be. And by that time one has accepted it — not got used to but accepted; and moreover, too worn-out to fight against it, one submits to it and endures.”
― Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Heat and Dust

Hermann Max Pechstein

Hermann Max Pechstein, “Badende Knaben in der Brandung (Bathing Boys in the Surf)”, Oil on Canvas, 1917

Early contact with the art of Vincent van Gogh stimulated Pechstein’s development toward expressionism. After studying art first at the School of Applied Arts and then at the Royal Art Academy in Dresden, Pechstein met Erich Heckel and joined the art group Die Brücke in 1906. He was the only member to have formal art training.

Later in Berlin, he helped to found the Neue Sezession and gained recognition for his decorative and colorful paintings that were lent from the ideas of Van Gogh, Matisse, and the Fauves. His paintings eventually became more primitivist, incorporating thick black lines and angular figures.

From in 1933, Pechstein was vilified by the Nazis because of his art. A total of 326 of his paintings were removed from German museums. Sixteen of his works were displayed in the Entartete Kunst (Degenerate Art) exhibition of 1937. During this time, Pechstein went into seclusion in rural Pomerania.

Two Elements

Artist Unknown, (Two Elements: Water and Fire), Computer Graphics, Animation Gifs

Water
水 Sui or mizu, meaning “Water”, represents the fluid, flowing, formless things in the world. Outside of the obvious example of rivers and the lake, plants are also categorized under sui, as they adapt to their environment, growing and changing according to the direction of the sun and the changing seasons. Blood and other bodily fluids are represented by sui, as are mental or emotional tendencies towards adaptation and change. Sui can be associated with emotion, defensiveness, adaptability, flexibility, suppleness, and magnetism.

Fire
火 Ka or Hi, “Fire”, represents the energetic, forceful, moving things in the world. Animals, capable of movement and full of forceful energy, are primary examples of ka objects. Bodily, ka represents our metabolism and body heat, and in the mental and emotional realms, it represents drive and passion. Ka can be associated with security, motivation, desire, intention, and an outgoing spirit.

Steve Walker

Steve Walker, “Boardwalk Triad”, 1996, Oil on Canvas, 122 x 122 cm, Private Collection

Born in Ottawa in 1961, Canadian artist Steve Walker has been a recognizable part of gay culture for at least the past two decades. Steve Walker’s paintings canbe described as pensive, quiet, emotional, haunting, empathetic, knowing. The men who inhabit these paintings tell a story that is at once very personal, yet seemingly familiar to all gay men.

Entirely a self-taught artist, Walker relocated to Toronto at the age of nineteen initially to study theater. A tour through Europe where he was exposed to the artwork of the great Masters, particularly Caravaggio, led him to start a career as an artist. Walker eventually became established for his acrylic portraits done of young men, either solo or in pairs, going about their everyday lives.

Executed with a limited palette of muted tones, Steve Walker’s large-scaled paintings were exhibited at galleries in Toronto, New York, Philadelphia, Fort Lauderdale, Provincetown and Pasadena. His work was also used for the cover art of novels by Felice Picano, Gordon Anderson, Michael Thomas Ford, and others.

Walker himself saw his work as having a universal message.  He once said, “As a homosexual, I have been moved, educated and inspired by works that deal with a heterosexual context. Why would I assume that a heterosexual would be incapable of appreciating work that speaks to common themes in life, as seen through my eyes as a gay man?”

Steve Walker’s passing was sudden and unexpected at his home in Costa Rica on January 4, 2012.. He died from a heart attack, but had no history of a heart condition. Walker once wrote: “I hope that in its silence, the body of my work has given a voice to my life, the lives of others, and in doing so, the dignity of all people.”

Notes: The Provincetown Artist Registry has an artist statement by Steve Walker on its online site: https://provincetownartistregistry.com/W/walker_steve.html

An extensive collection of Steve Walker’s artwork can be found on the official ‘Fans of Steve Walker Gay Art’ Facebook site: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stevewalkerart/ 

For those interested, Gallery XO, located in Wilton Manors, Florida, has a large collection of reproduction prints of Steve Walker’s paintings, among other artists who create male figurative works. The Gallery XO website is located at: https://www.galleryxo.com

Bottom Insert Image: Steve Walker, “Jungle Boy”, Date Unknown, Oil on Canvas, Private Collection